Perimeter Flutes performs Nicole Chamberlain's "Tamar"

Perimeter Flutes will be performing Nicole Chamberlain's "Tamar" at the Greater Atlanta Christian's School Black & White Gala. Enjoy an art gallery and nosh before the faculty recital.

Perimeter Flutes includes: Kathy Farmer, Jeanne Giager, Laura Philpott, and Nicole Chamberlain.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perimeter-Flutes/186622258027947 

"Tamar" Program Notes:
A summer visit to the Republic of Georgia as a teenager and renewed investigation into the music of the Balkans influenced the composer to incorporate derivatives of Balkan rhythms and harmonies into this piece. The name “Tamar” has several different ties to the Republic of Georgia. In Georgian mythology, she was the sky goddess who controlled the weather patterns and enslaved the morning star. In Christianity where it takes the form of Greek Orthodox in Georgia, she was the daughter of King David. In Georgian history, she was the first woman ruler who participated in battle to defend her country. Tamar is truly integrated into Georgian history and culture and made a fitting title for the work.

This piece was not only influenced by the music of a people steeped in history and culture, but also plays on the flexibility and palette of articulation at the flute’s disposal. Through extended techniques such as pizzacato and beat boxing, the flute can take on characteristics of the string and percussion families allowing the flute to quickly transition into different styles.

Terminus Ensemble Debut Concert

You are cordially invited to the debut concert of Terminus Ensemble, a new group focusing on contemporary music by Atlanta-based composers!

March 4, 2012: 3pm
Central Library, One Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA 30303
FREE Admission


Featuring:

secret music for viola and vibraphone by Nickitas Demos
Circular Arguments for clarinet and cello by Sarah Hersh
Piano Etudes by Jason Freeman
Mirror Universes 6 for percussion duo by Adam Scott Neal
Inventio Fortunata for solo flute by Drew Dolan
Between the Walls for flute, clarinet, cello, and piano by Brent Milam

performed by:

Isaac Anderson, percussion
Ipek Brooks, piano
Mike Brooks, viola
Nicole Randall Chamberlain, flute
Katie Curran, clarinet
Erin Ellis, cello
Olivia Kieffer, percussion


This is a FREE show - we look forward to seeing you there!

facebook event page
our website

Composer & Flutist Ian Clarke Recital & Workshop

On Saturday (2/25),  Flutist & Composer Ian Clarke will be the guest artist at the Atlanta Flute Fair at Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston Campus. He will be giving a recital which he features his own music as well as a Stockhausen piece that has inspired him as a composer and flutist. Not only will he give a recital, but he will also give a workshop which will focus on the extended techniques he uses in his compositions. You do not have to be a flutist or a member of the Atlanta Flute Club to attend these events. You can find out more about the Atlanta Flute Fair well as the schedule of events here: http://www.atlantafluteclub.org/default.htm

Rabbit Tales - more public performances added

The Atlanta Opera is pleased to present Rabbit Tales, a world premiere Atlanta Opera commission, for the 2011-2012 season. Based on the Br’er Rabbit stories by Joel Chandler Harris, this production is a contemporary, light-hearted opera that combines several story lines from Native American, African and Cajun Folklore. Rabbit Tales is written and composed by composer Nicole Chamberlain and librettist Madeleine St. Romain. These performances provide children and families the opportunity to see Rabbit Tales in a community setting.

Rabbit Tales Community Performances:
Date/Time: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 3PM
Admission: $6
Location: Decatur High School Theater • 310 N. McDonough St. • Decatur, GA 30030

Date/Time: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 10AM & 1PM

Admission: $6
Location: The Atlanta Opera Center • 1575 Northside Dr. NW
 • Bldg. 300, Suite 350 • Atlanta, GA 30318

Date/Time: Saturday, March 24, 2012, 11AM

Admission: $6
Location: Fulton County Arts & Culture's Southwest Arts Center • 915 New Hope Rd. • Atlanta, GA 30331

You can buy tickets here: http://tickets.atlantaopera.org/auxiliary/psDetail.aspx?psn=49084 

neoPhonia presents ODYSSEIA

You are cordially invited to the third concert of the 2011/12 season of
neoPhonia New Music Ensemble

Special Guest Artists:
Nevart-Veron GALILEAS, alto flute
Caleb HERRON, percussion
Yiorgos VASSILANDONAKIS, composer

Featuring GSU Faculty Performers:
Kenneth LONG, clarinet
Brandt FREDRIKSEN, piano

WHEN:        Tuesday, February 21, 2012 • 7:30 PM
WHERE:      Kopleff Recital Hall, Georgia State University campus

Free Admission!

Join us for another in our ongoing series of concerts entitled, "ODYSSEIA," exploring contemporary Greek music.

Program:

Rebonds (for solo percussion) :: Iannis XENAKIS

Playing With Fire (for solo alto sax) :: Will WEST (premiere)

YARNAIRE (for alto flute & vibraphone) :: Yiorgos VASSILANDONAKIS (US premiere)

Rites of Passage (for Bb/Eb/bass clarinet & piano) :: Nickitas DEMOS

Meet the composers & performers after the concert at a reception sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)

This concert made possible, in part, through funding by the Center for Hellenic Studies at Georgia State University

For directions, visit: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx

Sonic Generator presents "Locally Grown"

Sonic Generator Presents “Locally Grown”

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta
Concert begins at 8 p.m.

Free admission.

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu
https://www.facebook.com/events/220310531390081/


Georgia Tech’s contemporary chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, features music by Alvin Lucier, Jason Freeman, Steve Everett, Tae Hong Park, Adam Silverman, and Pedro Rivadeneira in a free performance in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center. Showcasing innovative music by Atlanta-based composers who integrate technology into contemporary music, the concert includes two works inspired by the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever, two pieces exploring the potential of spatialized electronic sound, and the premiere of SGLC by Georgia Tech music professor Jason Freeman, in which laptop and instrumental musicians together create the performance through live computer coding and real-time digital music notation.

Hope to see you all there!

Midtown Brass performance premieres Atlanta Composer's quintet

Midtown Brass will be giving a free recital on Friday January 20th, 8pm at Rev Coffee in Smyrna.  It will be in a relaxed atmosphere, accessible, informative and cool.  Come enjoy some great music and good coffee.

The program will be:

Ricochet- Kerry Turner

Onondaga - Bill Pritchard (WORLD PREMIERE by Atlanta Composer)

Brass Quintet - Koetsier

Pavane - Ravel (with a surprise) 

International Conference on Auditory Display

This June, Georgia Tech will host ICAD 2012, the international conference focused on sonification and auditory display. I encourage you all to look over the call for submissions (with deadlines coming up on Feb 10 and March 1) and to consider submitting a paper or poster or entering the sonification competition (in which you must sonify Twitter data about social music listening).

Rather than post the extensive call here, I'll just link to it here.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

"Be Your Own Publicist: PR for the Artist 101"

Laura Soldati, Communications Manager, Atlanta Opera
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm
January 17, 2012 - February 7, 2012
Cost: $150.00
Location: Actor's Express

Learn how to promote yourself in today's crowded and ever-shifting marketplace. This class offers practical steps to artists building and sustaining their careers. Learn more here.

The Atlanta Opera to Host 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase

Audience Can Attend for Free or Tune in Via Live Webcast on 
Saturday, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. EST

What:        
The Atlanta Opera’s 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase! Selected composers, lyricists,
stage directors and opera singers -- randomly put into teams – have 24 hours to
compose, stage and rehearse a 10-minute opera. Performances will be judged by a
panel of judges and by the audience, who can also tune in via live webcast on
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Webcast:
The public unable to attend the performances can tune in to a LIVE webcast at
atlantaopera.org. They can vote for “Audience Favorite” via Twitter
(@TheAtlantaOpera) or Facebook.

When/Where:
SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE, Saturday, January 21, 2012 @ 7pm
The Atlanta Opera Center
1575 Northside Drive, Bldg. 300, Suite 350
Atlanta, GA 30318

Who:
Judges include: Stephanie Adrian, Voice Professor at Emory University and writer
for Opera News, Classical Singer, and Journal of Singing; Andrew Alexander, Arts and
Entertainment Writer for Creative Loafing; John Lemley, Assistant Program Director,
host of City Café, Afternoon Classics and Tapestry on WABE (90.1); and Ann Owens,
former Executive Director of the Houston Grand Opera.

Participants include:
Composers
Jason Barabba, Los Angeles, CA
Timothy Brown, Denver, CO
Sarah Hersh, Atlanta, GA
Jennifer Jolley, Cincinnati, OH
Jonathan Stinson, Cincinnati, OH

Lyricists
Brad Fairchild, Jonesboro, GA
Meghan Fitzgerald, Atlanta, GA
Chadwick Hagan, Atlanta, GA
Curtis Krick, Atlanta, GA
Vynnie Meli, Marietta, GA

Stage Directors
Thomas Iaac Collins, Sweetwater, TN
Kristin Kenning , Birmingham, AL
Michael  Nutter , Doraville, GA
Frances Rabalais, New Orleans, LA
Beth Suryan, Smyrna, GA

Singers
Robert Adams, Fayetteville, GA
Sharon Blackwood, Duluth, GA
Vivian Clifton, Atlanta, GA
Sondra Collin, Newberry, FL
Janeen Griffith, Mableton, GA
Kori Jennings, Baton Rouge, LA
Christine Lyons, Fayetteville, GA
Katie Oates, Mableton, GA
Laura Peacock, Buford, GA
Amanda Pillatzki, Hampton, GA
Ivan Segovia, Atlanta, GA
Sarah Vautour, Alpharetta, GA
Ariana Wehr, Baton Rouge, LA
John Elliot Yates, Hattiesburg, MS
Gerald Yarbray, Atlanta, GA

Accompanists/Music Directors
Catherine Giel, Atlanta, GA
Katherine Ireland, Atlanta, GA
Sandra Lutters, Atlanta, GA
Erin Palmer, Atlanta, GA
Michael Spassov, Ottawa, Ontario

Admission: Free and open to the public.

Information:
www.atlantaopera.org or education@atlantaopera.org or 404-881-8883.

New Blog Post Up

I recently uploaded a new blog post. Check out my Top 5 New Year's Resolutions for composers on this month's Greek & Composing!

Chamber Cartel to play Feldman's Crippled Symmetry

EDIT: Review by Mark Gresham on ArtsCriticATL

Percussionist Caleb Herron has put together a new music ensemble called Chamber Cartel, and their first concert will take place next Sunday, New Year's Day.

They will be performing the classic Morton Feldman piece Crippled Symmetry. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of Feldman's long-form (~90 minutes) works in concert!

January 1, 2012 - 7:30 PM
First Existentialist Congregation
470 Candler Park Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30307-2113
$10 at the door

Facebook invite
Chamber Cartel Facebook page
Chamber Cartel webpage

The Atlanta Opera's 24-Hour Opera Project Returns!

From The Atlanta Opera's Education Director, Emmalee Iden:

Yes it’s true folks – The Atlanta Opera’s 24-Hour Opera Project is back! We had so much fun last year we’re ready to do it again! This is a fun event in which composers, lyricists, directors and singers are paired together to write, rehearse and perform an original opera scene – all in 24 hours. The application deadline for participants December 15. Applicants selected for participation will be notified by December 19.

The 24-Hour Opera Project will kick off at 5PM on Friday, January 20 at First Presbyterian Church in Midtown with the unveiling of the 2012 theme. Composers and lyricists will write all night until the whistle blows at 6AM. Stage directors and singers will take over at that point and begin rehearsing, all leading up to the showcase performance Saturday evening at 7PM. If you had a good time last year, just wait until you see what surprises we’ve got in store for you this year!!!

Some of the comments we received from participants last year:

“I really enjoyed participating in this project, it was like opera bootcamp! I was a lot of hard work and I felt accomplished after the performance. thanks again.”

“I truly had a great experience and was honored to be a part of the first (and hopefully annual) 24 Hour Opera Project.”

“I fell in love with opera. thank you.”

“I learned SO MUCH - which is why I wanted to be involved with the project to begin with. The structure of course made for a wonderful and rewarding challenge (thrilling!) - but collaborating with the artists on a new piece - in a form which is both familiar and different to me - proved mind blowing.”

All the information about the event can be found on our website here: www.atlantaopera.org/24hour.aspx, including video from last year’s event. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in participating. The more the merrier!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 404-881-8883 or eiden@atlantaopera.org.

Atlanta's forgotten history of composers

Just appeared this morning in ArtsCriticATL, although quickly disappeared from the home page due to a review by the same author (who should have held onto it for another day, I guess) being posted afterward:

Memorial Drive: Atlanta’s forgotten classical music history  [Mark Gresham | ArtsCriticATL, 21 Nov 2011]

Join in the discussion, and add your own memories of Atlanta composers from the pre-21st-century era to the comments, or e-mail them to me privately if you prefer.

You can also access it by going to the overall Classical Music page on ArtsCriticATL.

—Mark Gresham

GSU Student Composer Concert

If you happen to find yourself in downtown Atlanta tomorrow, you are cordially invited to join us for a 

Concert of New Works 

by members of the Georgia State University Student Chapter of SCI

DATE: Friday, November 11, 2011

TIME: 12 PM

LOCATION: Kopleff Recital Hall, GSU Campus, Atlanta, GA

FREE Admission

Program:

Dreams and Fables (2010) for bassoon & piano - premiere - by Matthew EDMANDS 

Eight Little Sketches for Viola (2010) by Ioannis PAPASPYROU

Sonata for Viola & Piano (2010) - premiere - by Taylor HELMS

Gift From Epirus (2010) for woodwind quartet by Ioannis PAPASPYROU

Amalgam Collapsing (2011) for flute, alto flute, double bass & piano by William WALKER

Pathos (2010) for string quartet by Ioannis PAPASPYROU

Wind Quintet (2010) - premiere - by Matthew EDMANDS

Encores Galore

Hopefully of interest to composers, posted on my "EarRelevant" blog, from earlier today.

Last night at the Schwartz Center's Emerson Concert Hall, violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Valentina Lisitsa performed thirteen of the twenty-six "encores" Hahn had recently commissioned for violin and piano...

Questions for discussion:

Composers: Are you writing encores for Atlanta's musicians?
Performers: Are you requesting encores from Atlanta's composers?

—Mark Gresham

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble Concert

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble
Nickitas Demos, artistic director

Please join us for the second concert of our 2011/12 season!

WHEN:      Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - 7:30 PM
WHERE:    Kopleff Recital Hall - Georgia State University
COST:        FREE

Program:

HEAVY METAL

During the 1960's and 70's, under the direction of the legendary Bill Hill, Georgia State University was a center for contemporary brass music in the United States. We pay homage to this great tradition with a diverse concert of 20th Century/21st Century brass works! With music by GSU student composers and established composers, a mix of well-known brass compositions plus five world premieres and performances by the stellar GSU Brass Faculty & Students - there is something for everyone on this program!

Brass Quintet No. 1 - premiere - by GSU student composer, Matthew FRANK
Solus for solo trumpet - by Stanley FRIEDMAN
Conversations for Tenor & Bass Trombone - by Charles SMALL
Tonoi IX for solo euphonium - premiere - by Nickitas DEMOS
The Hollow Men for trumpet & piano - by Vincent PERSICHETTI
Hearing Confetti for trumpet trio - premiere - by GSU graduate student composer, Amy LEVENTHAL
The Troubadour for solo trombone - American premiere - by Henry R. WIXON
Flying Trapeze for euphonium quartet - premiere -  by GSU graduate student composer, William MAY
Concert Variations for euphonium & piano - by Jan BACH

As always, you can meet and greet many of the composers and all the performers at a reception after the performance sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc.
Directions to the Kopleff Recital Hall: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx
Hope to see you there!

World Premiere of "Rabbit Tales"

TIME
Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Rabbit Tales premiere @ 1 p.m.

LOCATION
The Wren’s Nest
1050 Ralph David Abernathy SW
Atlanta, GA 30310

Join us for family-friendly activities from 11a.m. to 2:30 p.m. including storytelling, museum tours, craft activities and face painting. At 1 p.m., audiences will be enchanted with the world premiere performance of the Atlanta Opera’s first-ever opera commission, Rabbit Tales, on the outdoor stage in the natural grass amphitheatre. Stick around after the performance for a talk-back session with the composer Nicole Chamberlain, librettist Madeleine St. Romain, director Park Cofield, production director Michael Benedict, and costumer designer Joanna Schmink. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy your picnic or snack on the lawn!

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Georgia Tech’s 2012 Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

Dear inventors, composers, artists, and musicians:
Georgia Tech is extending the deadline to submit your ideas to the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition to Monday, November 7th. If you have an idea, or know someone who does, don’t let it go unnoticed.

Submit now: http://gtcmt.gatech.edu/?p=7461

Finalists will be invited to Atlanta February 16-17, 2012, where contestants will compete for $10,000 in cash prizes.

In addition to Best in Show prize and Best Student Submission award, prizes will be given for entries in five categories. See examples from past competitions on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/gtcmt

The categories are:

Mobile: musical instruments that take advantage of the unique interface elements and extreme portability of either standard smartphone platforms or custom-made hardware devices to revolutionize how and where music is made.

Robotics: mechanical devices that play an existing acoustic instrument or contain such an instrument within their design, facilitating the performance of novel music and/or creating novel collaborations with other musicians while they demonstrate the potential for musicianship in the robotic realm.

Repurposed: musical instruments that are inspired by existing non-musical objects, building upon their design to show the latent musicality we regularly encounter but might not otherwise notice.

Augmented: musical instruments inspired by existing acoustic instruments, building upon their existing design, playing technique and performance practice with new elements that extend their expressive capabilities.

Controller: novel hardware interfaces that can be readily connected to other software or hardware via a standard protocol, immediately expanding the expressive performance capabilities of anything with which they are linked.

Prizes will be awarded to Best in Show, Best in Category, Best Student Submission and People’s Choice.

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble begins its 17th Season!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

First Concert of the 2011/12 Season:

Date: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011

TIme: 7:00 PM

Location: KOPLEFF RECITAL HALL (on the Georgia State University Campus)

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This program will be another in our series spotlighting Atlanta composers!

RED CLAY CONNECTIONS

Special Guest Artists:

Nicole CHAMBERLAIN, flute

Tom GIBSON, trombone

Laura GORDY, piano

Ted GURCH, clarinet

Helen KIM, violin

Kevin LYONS, trumpet

Faculty Artists:

Ken LONG, clarinet

Amanda PEPPING, trumpet

Program:

Heavy Metal (2011 - premiere) by NICKITAS DEMOS

for Trumpet & Trombone duo

Mobile-Stabile-Mobile (2010 - premiere) by ROBERT SCOTT THOMPSON

for Flute, Clarinet, Cello & Piano

Nautica (2010 - premiere) by NICOLE CHAMBERLAIN

for Solo Piano

t1 (2001) by TAE HONG PARK (Atlanta debut)

for Trumpet & Electronics

Jasper Drag (2000) by ALVIN SINGLETON

for Clarinet, Violin & Piano

Reception to follow sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)